Uh Oh: Nikon Betting Hopes of Video Software Effort

Nikon published its annual report (Japanese) that includes a lot of high-level strategy elements to where it is investing its limited resources. In addition to going whole-hog on the upcoming Z9 flagship camera body, the second self-perceived mid-term bright spot in their prospects has to do with their business-to-business promotion of new video-related software efforts. Typically, when camera makers’ new efforts rely on their software developments for success, bad things ensue. NikonRumors.com provided some highlights translated.

Nikon began a major retrenchment in 2019, before the pandemic, to conserve cash and sell off assets. Its stock price at the time plummeted due to market perceptions of existential risk. Some believed it wouldn’t survive its rapid reduction in marketshare combined with a rapidly shrinking camera market when it alone was the camera manufacturer that lacked revenue diversity in other industries. Only in the last half year have those concerns been significantly allayed, as it managed to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from technology and equity sales, as well as consolidating its manufacturing outside of Japan and significantly cutting staff. Its stock price has been rocketing upward since.